WTAM Local News

Team chosen for second Innerbelt Bridge Project

(Columbus) -The Ohio Department of Transportation announced Friday that Trumbull Corporation, The Great Lakes Construction Company, & The Ruhlin Company (TGR) along with designer URS Corporation are the apparent winning team who will perform the demolition of the existing 1959 Innerbelt Bridge and construct a new eastbound structure in its place.

The total bid amount for the project came in at $272,986,001.

ODOT is in the midst of replacing the 1950s era bridge with two, new bridges. The first will carry westbound traffic and the second will carry eastbound traffic. The westbound structure is under construction now and expected to be open to traffic this fall.

Engineers and experts from ODOT and the city of Cleveland teamed on a thorough process of evaluating three technical proposals for constructing the new eastbound bridge. In order to complete construction on this project faster, ODOT is using a unique design-build process in which the design and construction of the project are combined in a single contract.

Three teams were chosen in February to compete for this historic project. Technical elements – such as schedule, quality management, construction plans, community outreach and sustainability – were evaluated by experts from both ODOT and the city of Cleveland.

ODOT has up to ten days to review the “best value” proposal before officially awarding the contract.

Demolition of the existing, 1959 Innerbelt Bridge is expected to begin this fall, immediately after completion of the new westbound bridge. The new westbound bridge will temporarily carry traffic in both directions until completion of the new eastbound structure, in the fall of 2016.